Honest Ed’s

I bought a bottle of juice and took the price label off when I arrived at home. Then, I discovered that the juice had expired 4 months ago. It is illegal to sell products after expired.

100% good deals ¹⁰⁄₁₀ service and love the atmosphere. Wish they were never closing down. National landmark, preserve the sign! Love it there. Could spend hours walking around, you’ll never know what you might find at the good ol Honest Ed’s.

What weird store with everything you never knew you needed. All kinds of STUFF and more STUFF.
Great items for and tourist who needs CN tower salt and pepper shakers or snow globes. Alot of history here.

What can be said about Honest Ed’s that hasn’t been said already? That it’s a Toronto institution? Check. That it’s a ‘world famous bargain house’? Check. That ‘There’s no place like this place, anyplace’? Check. All of that’s been said.
But what will I say? Well, Honest Ed’s is a great place to get things that you need when on a budget, and at great prices-​and it was the first to do this in Toronto. For me as a boy, it was just part of the background, but for me now as an older man, it’s a part of my life that I don’t know what I’d do without. I’ve gotten things cheap here that I’ve really needed, like clothes and household kitchen stuff, and I’ve also gotten food here cheap too. Millions of Torontonians have all gotten the same things wheater they’re budget-​minded or not, just because they can. And they’ve managed to get them here in a very inviting (and exciting-​looking) place, despite the shabby interiors in some parts of the store.
All of that is to be gone December 31^st, 2016 when it shuts down for good-​until then, many should enjoy what it has to offer in the way of goods and in the way it looks.

I understand that Honest Ed’s is an important staple in Toronto and to be honest, I’ll be sad once it goes. The sign is so bright and the best is driving/​walking past it at night. It’s quite a site.
However, there’s nothing else I like about Honest Ed’s. I once bought an alarm clock there that didn’t even work when I brought it home. I ended up buying a cheaper one from dollarama that worked.
I would reccomend making a trip before it’s gone completely for anyone who hasn’t gone yet. However, be weary of buying items.

Great price and convenient location! Service is mediocre but I’m somewhat okay with that since it’s a discount store.

Best part is the outside sign, it’s easily one of the most photographed spots/​item in Toronto (CN Tower, ROM, AGO…). Unfortunately in the days of WalMart, etc. Not so interesting inside anymore; sure it looks interesting. It’s a maze of confusion (alleys, bridges, upstairs, downstairs, down-​downstairs). The prices are OK, not good enough to survive. Like many others I’m sad to see it is leaving (few years away), but also like MANY; I don’t shop here anymore, my grandparents did. RIP. Not seeing those thousands of light bulbs one day will be SAD…

I love the prices at this place but the endless stuffy layout makes me feel like I’m breathing in stale air and am trapped inside that warehouse forever.
I bought some Winnie the Pooh stuffed toys in here and found them at almost double or triple the price at places like Hallmark or Mindgames. So I’m very happy about that! :D

Who would have thought I could find gluten free pasta, jumbo sized basil and oregano, a light bulb for my salt crystal lamp, toilet paper, toothpaste, a citrus juicer, a pressure cooker, and office supplies? Found it all Honest Ed’s and it only took maybe an hour to find it all. The basement is a brand new discovery for me and I’m mad about the grocery, household and hardware sections.

This place was a neat experience, and I’m glad I got to visit before it shuts down. It first caught my eye when we were walking a few blocks away at nighttime — you can’t miss the flashing lights! When we finally were able to venture in during the day, there were so many things to nice, I feel like it would take multiple visits to see the entirety of the store.
I think it’s cool that they market themselves as a place to get lost! Just be sure you don’t have to pee, have a strict deadline or meeting, or a headache when you pop by. This place is most definitely a maze!
I love the nostalgia that emanates from this place. It has a magical vibe to it, and as everyone else has mentioned, the signage is super cool. I can only imagine the kind of upkeep this place needs on the regular — nooks and crannies everywhere! It’s really like a carnival fun house and I love it.
Here’s hoping I get to pop by before they close to pick up some Ed’s memorabilia of my very own!

I must apologize to my Toronto friends for this being the first time I have ever visited the famed Honest Ed’s. Living in Toronto/​GTA since birth, it’s kind of a sin, I’ll admit it. Leave it to me to jump on the bandwagon last minute (sort of) to pay them a visit.
It really IS a maze, and they really do have EVERYTHING. However the prices weren’t as cheap as I imagined they would be, BUT they were cheap (I mean books for $ 0.50). I’m glad I was there with seasoned Honest Ed’s veterans though otherwise I would have gotten lost for SURE.
That said, I love the history of the place, the walls adorned with blow ups of autographed celebrity head shots and of course who doesn’t love the sign.
They’re staying open until Dec 31^st 2016 at which point it will be time to say goodbye. I really hope they keep the sign on whatever replaces it.

This is more of a landmark and an institution that adds to the character of the city. At night, when it is all lite up, it is really something to see; especially adds the festive charm to a very lively part of the town at night. It will be a sad day when the lights dim for good. This neighborhood will lose a piece of its identity and history.
Shopping wise, it is a bit chaotic and hard to find things. I feel that this is more like an experience of discovery rather than a planned out visit. You can easily lose yourself in it for hours before realizing it. It does have a lot of neat things. The price is decent and like any stores, something’s are good value, and some are not.
Sure the interior design is dated, but it is what makes it special. Toronto is about to lose something unique…

Bought a bunch of stuff here when I was moving into a new apartment for the school year. I have literally never seen cheaper prices! Picked up most of my kitchen utensils and cleaning stuff here, some of it was cheaper than the dollar store. Of course the quality isn’t great but as a student who just needed them to last the school year, its a really good deal!
They have a section for pretty much anything from food to curtains!

We’re Still Open Until 2016. This sign at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor made me feel things.
Yes, I’ve spent hours trying to find things here, yes they have some ridiculous things, no I wouldn’t trust their grocery section as isn’t their whole thing everything is from the 70s.
However, this is Toronto’s history. This is a happy place. This is where you can fall in love with things you never knew you always wanted, gawk at Mirvish theatre posters from Yesteryear and still get dental floss on the cheap.
Enjoy Ed before he takes his final bow.

I Love All Of The Fake, Negative Reviews On Here By High Class Shoppers!!!
Serious. most of the people who wrote negative reviews do Not know Honest Ed’s like I do.
First of all, What do You expect a Discount Department store to look like when they are Giving You Dirt, Cheap Prices???
And…the store is Not that bad looking at all!
It is just a Big Store which is in the shape of a Maze and Yes, it is so Big in order to Offer You the Biggest Variety of Merchandise Possible.
Also, most of the people did Not grow up with Honest Ed’s like I did from the 1980’s.
They were the Very First Discount Department Store and have done a lot of things for the Toronto Community, including offering Free Entertainment, giving away many products out on the street for FREE or at a Dirt Cheap Discount, like Turkeys for .25 cents and Yes, they would get very Long Lines because of the intense competition, but there were always plenty of turkeys or whatever they were giving away for everybody.
To continue, they still offer Great Prices today and Yes, they are old fashioned since the founder started off in the business by buying merchandise from fire sales back in the early 1900’s if anybody should know their history like I do.
Sadly, when most of these customers from Unilocal have walked in there, they expect the store to look like Macy’s and that is Not the case!
Furthermore, this store has a Major History in the City of Toronto and is Now a Landmark and you can see that on the Streets of Bloor Street at Bathurst Street, right in front of the store.
I am sorry if Honest Ed’s does Not meet up to your level of satisfaction and for anybody to complain about them then perhaps you should shop at the dollarama or dollartree and get what you want there!
Honest Ed’s is totally different and you can see why?
I just hope that they do Not tear down the building to build condos because it will take away what was already there for 66 years so far!
Thank you Honest Ed’s for offering the City of Toronto Fantastic Merchandise at Fantastic Prices!
PS: Lastly, in the late 1980’s, I did have the opportunity to meet Ed and Anne Mirvish, the founders and owners of Honest Ed’s at one of their Birthday Bashes before they passed away and they were both very nice to meet…
PS: Yesterday, they had another Birthday Celebration for being around 66 Years and I was very lucky to finally meet David Mirvish, the son of the founders and owners and got my picture taken with him… I am so glad that he was able to continue the Successful Business!

With the remodeling or whatever it is they’re currently doing in here, this dump is essentially configured like a prison.
Once you go through the one-​way turnstile at the entrance, there’s no way out on the ground level. The big «CASHIERS» arrow signs point you to creepy, unlit checkout areas that are shut down. The emergency exit signs point to exterior doors with handwritten signs stating «NO EXIT,» and they aren’t kidding: all the doors are locked. Is that even legal?
After navigating this hellhole and trying to unlock doors and even open the «alarm will sound» emergency exits, and failing because everything was DOUBLE-​LOCKED, I went down some stairs and through a bunch of creepy corridors, and there it was: the grocery floor with checkout lanes that were actually functional.
But see, I hadn’t picked up anything to buy, and this place is designed not to let you through without buying something. Numerous tacky-​ass signs around the checkout area constantly remind you that there are cameras, that you need to show the contents of any bags or purses, and that they take numerous measures to «discourage shoplifting.» I wanted to get out of here so badly that I almost grabbed a pack of gum in order to have something to pay for, but I chose to preserve my dignity and asked a cashier how I could get the hell out of there without buying anything.
She directed me to a secret passageway that bypassed the checkout lanes, where I encountered an employee who demanded to see my bag of pastries from a nearby bakery. Ughhh. A few steps later, I finally arrived at an unlocked exit and made it out.
I hope this abomination of a store goes out of business soon.

Honestly, (it’s so hard not to use that word in this review), I came here as kind of a gawker. I wanted to see how cheesy this place could be with its bright lights and pithy signs about Honest Ed and Toronto musical theater history posters. And those were all there is carnivally, markety abundance.
But I was won over by this store’s good prices (dollar store good!) and wide selection. Finding myself gazing at things I had no use for and couldn’t fit in my backpack (like the neon bar signs that form a ceiling display in the basement), I was in ticky tacky awe!
Much of the stuff here has a thrift store feel (even if it’s new). It’s definitely a bit musty here and feels somewhat disorganized (even within the labeled sections). But despite the fact that much of the merchandise and all of the employees felt like they were left behind in the 1970s, something gave me joyous feel of shopping in a museum. Like anything I purchased would be a souvenir.
In the end, all I bought a plaster polar bear in a maple leaf sweater ($ 5.00 of the best junk ever) as my only purchase, but their Canada themed clutter even beats the airport for selection and obscurity.
But what I honestly (pun mostly intended) find the most amazing is that there are people who shop here on a weekly basis just to buy groceries or household needs or sundries. When chain department stores have become the rule rather than the exception in North American cities, I am jealous that people in Toronto have this local treasure.

One day Honest Ed’s will be gone, and we’ll have only ourselves to blame.
Sure, it’s not the focus of the city, or the greatest place to shop… but it’s ours. And it has charm.
Brian Lee O’Malley would have you believe it was destroyed in the great Scott Pilgrim fight taking place somewhere after the first book, and outside of the realm of the movie. But it was not.
Honest Ed’s offers everything you could want from a dollar store, with a little bit you could want from a Wal-​Mart.
I’m not sure why I go there… it’s difficult to navigate. The deals aren’t very good. The merchandise is somewhat distressing. But it’s ours. And it’s part of this city. Normally I don’t go in for the mom + pop stores, and the need to keep them around, but this is a Toronto landmark, and we’ve been losing so many of them.
I’m all for Condos… but I really don’t want to see them there — Honest Ed’s. We need to use it, or it’s gone.

You cannot go wrong for the options and prices there. I just forget how big the place is until you have walk from one end to the other! ha! It’s a workout! ha! My client loves this place!

Honest Ed’s is such a unique place… Casino like outside, maze like inside.
It’s like a huge time machine… once you’re in all these old posters, old school turnstiles and some very vintage stuff makes you feel as if you just got transported into the past and the moment you will step out onto the street the city will transform into the past too…
it also carries EVERYTHING imaginable and unimaginable. clothes and pharmaceutical stuff, electronics and food, toys and stationery etc.
everything does seems to be suspiciously cheap… it feels like some stores near by buy their stuff at Honest Ed’s and then sell with a 100% markup and it’s still is cheap…
how do they make profit with the prices like they have I don’t understand.
I would want this place to have better signage as I ALWAYS get lost in here but then isn’t it part of the fun?=)
definitely a place to visit once you’re in TO=)

Ce magasin est une institution à Toronto. Son fondateur a monté son business sur un principe simple: racheter les stocks des sociétés en faillite et le revendre à bas prix.
Ici vous trouverez absolument tous les articles désirés en fonction de la pièce de la maison que vous voulez équiper.
Entre les ustensiles de cuisine, les produits pour la salle de bains, les cadres, les tupperwares de toutes tailles… Il y a même un rayon d’alimentation avec les produits de base à prix vraiment très bas.
Possibilité également de venir récupérer des médicaments avec sa prescription.
La déco est composée de portraits de célébrités des années 30 à 70 avec souvent des dédicaces à Ed le fondateur.
Pour les expats: ils prennent la visa.